There are plenty of specialists in the NBA. There’s the bangers down low that get you rebounds, the speedsters that burn rubber more than Herbie and Lindsay Lohan, the scorers who rack up points using a variety of skills. But then, there are the shooters. The guys that will light you up any given night from any point beyond the arc. There’s Ray Allen, the proven veteran who has more clutch moments than standard car drivers. There’s Kevin Durant, the scorer with touch for torching from deep. Then, there’s Steph Curry. Curry is the new kid on the block that decided to shoot up the whole league from deep, whether it was in New York where he went 11-13 from deep and scored 54 points in MSG! The kid can shoot and shoot well, he lit up the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and gave the Spurs their most challenging series other than the Heat. It was easy to look past him for his shortcomings and numerous injury issues, but if you leave this sniper open, he will take the shot and most likely will leave you wondering if he could Mark Wahlberg in disguise..

We’ve heard this term in a variety of ways. “Veterans”, “Old”, “Golden Years”, “Aged”. Some are compliments, the others a dig at the age of a team or certain players. In the NBA you see it around the league, the New York Knicks were one Tracy McGrady away from being the “Expendables”, old players past their prime that still want the spotlight (I’m looking at you Sylvester Stallone) the Spurs are the embodiment of “Space Cowboys” grizzled veterans who show the kids how it’s done and then there’s the new look New York Nets, closely resembling “Stand Up Guys” old dudes who still could pack a punch in scoring and in defense but you’re worried they will break down any minute. (without the help of a “magic pill”) They are masters of their game, thinkers, leaders, guys who have weathered the storm of hype, loss and icing of every joint in their body. These are the guys who you want to ride into the sunset one last time. The Spurs were close to it last year, barely missing Timmy’s most epic exit ever. Then there are the guys who want to soak in the glory of playing, proving to themselves and others they still got some gas left in the tank (Kobe you are an embodiment of hard work, and possibly the newest “Rocky” movie. These guys are the one’s you’ll talk about for years to come, the one’s that some people grew up with watching dominate and then for some, sadly watching the old guys wither away. They are looking for one more opportunity, one last crusade. Don’t write them off just yet, I know Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan would still have something to say if you did. They are the Old School, they are the Old Guard.

This page shows the comparison of any two players you choose to go against each other

This app is a simple way to compare any two players in NBA history using advanced statistics to figure out each player’s effieciency, strengths, weaknesses, clutch performances, etc. With the information all stored into the app one can pit Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson vs. LeBron James and so on and so forth. Using the statistics and running simulations of how each player would play each other one can answer the age old question of who was better. Not only that but having the ability to choose any player one could use this app as simple scouting report, finding out where their sweet spots are to score, what part of their game is weakest (ball handling, long distance shooting, post ups, etc.) Highlights of players also can be shared throughout the app sharing the knowledge of how greatness in basketball stretches back into decades, arguments of, “Well he never won a ring.” could be put to rest.

First, I apologize if you are a Miami Heat fan reading this, actually no, I hope you realize that your team is evil in every facet! (Just kidding, kind of..) Okay, so we know the story. Miami Heat builds it’s team into a juggernaut after the 2010 NBA season. All the teams that face them are getting crushed by the Emperor (Pat Riley) who persuaded his loyal servant Darth Vader to join him (LeBron James) and a slew of other villains bent on dominating the galaxy, err the league. After the Death Star was destroyed by those dastardly rebels who had no shot to begin with (Dallas Mavericks) they decide to just go into full f*ck you mode and start destroying everything, they decimate Hoth (2012 NBA Finals) with an armada of AT-AT’s with LeBron James at the reigns and Mike Miller’s barrage of threes (Where the hell did that come from?!) killing any dream that the rebels would win. (So sorry Thunder fans, I’m one of you..) So the Empire just goes on an all out blitz on the galaxy. So we get to the Spurs, the last hope, the dutiful, well rounded, under appreciated team of the decade. They train with Master Yoda, (Popovich, seriously, he is smartest coach in the league, possible top 3 coach as well) sharpen their skills with the force and looks like they have a shot of knocking off Darth Vader and his cronies Boba Fett (Dwayne Wade) and Jar-Jar Binks. (Chris Bosh.. Just kidding, he’s more of all the storm troopers who met their demise and yes I know Jar-Jar wasn’t in the ESB, I just couldn’t help myself..) So Han and everyone else is thinking, “Hey, we did it! We made it to Cloud City, we outran the empire, WE’RE GONNA DO THIS! (Spurs take a 3-2 lead and are seconds away from their fifth title) Suddenly, Darth Vader shows up and shit’s on the Spurs party, and freezes Han Solo in carbonite. This is identical to Ray Allen’s buzzer beating three to send the game into overtime, quickly erasing all good outcomes for our heroes. Game seven occurs and Darth Vader chops off Luke’s hand, (LeBron’s final shot to seal the deal) overpowering him and basically basking in his win over the team that humiliated him so many years ago. Tragic ending, but Luke get’s his hand back, and Tim Duncan hasn’t retired so the way I see it at least we still have Return of the Jedi to look forward to, right? And if you still don’t believe that Pat Riley is the Emperor, look no further!